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Newly designed laboratory measurement system, which reproduces particle number size distributions of both nuclei and accumulation mode particles in exhaust emissions, was developed. It enables continuous measurement of nano particle emissions in the size range between 5 and 1000 nm. Evaluations of particle number size distributions were conducted for diesel vehicles with a variety of emission aftertreatment devices and for gasoline vehicles with different combustion systems. For diesel vehicles, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC), urea-Selective Catalytic Reduction (urea-SCR) system and catalyzed Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) were evaluated. For gasoline vehicles, Lean-burn Direct Injection Spark Ignition (DISI), Stoichiometric DISI and Multi Point Injection (MPI) were evaluated. Japanese latest transient test cycles were used for the evaluation: JE05 mode driving cycle for heavy duty vehicles and JC08 mode driving cycle for light duty vehicles.

Crosscheck tests of fast electrical mobility spectrometers, Differential Mobility Spectroscopy (DMS) and Engine Exhaust Particle Sizer(EEPS), were conducted to evaluate the accuracy of fine particle measurement. Two kinds of particles were used as test particles for the crosscheck test of instruments: particles emitted from diesel vehicles and diluted in a full dilution tunnel, and particles generated by CAST. In the steady state tests, it was confirmed that the average concentration of each instrument was within the range of ±2σ from the average concentration of all the same type of instruments. In the transient tests, it is verified that the instruments have almost equal sensitivity. For application of the fast electrical mobility spectrometers to evaluation of particle number and size distributions, it is essential to develop a calibration method using reference particle counters and sizers (CPC, SMPS, etc.) and maintenance methods appropriate for each model.

In order to clarify future automobile technologies and fuel qualities to improve air quality, second phase of Japan Clean Air Program (JCAPII) had been conducted from 2002 to 2007. Predicting improvement in air quality that might be attained by introducing new emission control technologies and determining fuel qualities required for the technologies is one of the main issues of this program. Unregulated material WG of JCAPII had studied unregulated emissions from gasoline and diesel engines. Eight gaseous hydrocarbons (HC), four Aldehydes and three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated as unregulated emissions. Specifically, emissions of the following components were measured: 1,3-Butadiene, Benzene, Toluene, Xylene, Ethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethyl-benzene, n-Hexane, Styrene as gaseous HCs, Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, Acrolein, Benzaldehyde as Aldehydes, and Benzo(a)pyrene, Benzo(b)fluoranthene, Benzo(k)fluoranthene as PAHs.

Reduction of smoke emission from diesel engines is important in order to meet upcoming stringent exhaust gas regulations and also for improving fuel economy. In this paper, the reduction of smoke from DI diesel engines for heavy duty vehicles is discussed. A single cylinder engine test and three dimensional numerical analysis were carried out in order to obtain necessary and useful information for designing a combustion chamber and a fuel injection nozzle that could realize reduced smoke emission. This study is focused particularly on the behavior of the fuel spray which impinges on the piston cavity wall in the case of a reentrant type combustion bowl. As a result, it was found that the spray wall-impingement angle performs an important role in promoting fuel-air mixing. It is thus an important parameter which controls the main combustion region.

A compact transient mini-tunnel (multi-tube type) inducing only a part of the exhaust gas, has been newly developed as a device for measuring the quantity of regulated exhaust emissions in the exhaust gas from diesel engines. This device allows measurement of exhaust emissions even for transient mode operating conditions of the engines, such as U.S. EPA FTP transient mode (FTP mode). The size of this mini-tunnel can be reduced to approximately twenty percent of the dilution tunnel (full-flow tunnel) specified by EPA and the flow rate in the mini-tunnel is a few percent thereof. The results have been demonstrated that the mass emissions of particulate, CO, NOx and HC measured with the mini-tunnel have good agreement to that measured with the full-flow tunnel under FTP mode and also steady state operating conditions of the engines (correlation coefficients of particulate, CO, NOx and HC are not less than 0.97).

To reduce exhaust emissions and fuel consumption, the effect of high pressure fuel injection was investigated with in-cylinder fuel spray observation and single cylinder engines. Spray impingement on the cavity wall promotes mixing with air and reduction in the nozzle area extends this wall impingement as a result of increasing both fuel injection pressure and injection period. There exists an optimum range for the injection period. Increased injection pressure by modifying injection rate of fuel pump and nozzle area, improves smoke and fuel consumption at low and medium speeds in particular. To extend these effects of high pressure injection, more optimized combustion system and minimized injection equipment drive torque must be required. To resolve the problem of high pressure injection such as higher combustion noise and increase in NOx emissions, the combination with pilot injection must be one of the most effective ways.

A premixed compression-ignited (PCI) combustion system, which realizes lean combustion with high efficiency and low emissions, was investigated and its effects and problems were ascertained. With PCI combustion, fuel was injected early on the compression stroke and a premixed lean mixture was formed over a long mixing period. The test engine was operated with self-ignition of this premixed lean mixture. From the results of combustion observation and numerical simulation, a need to prevent the fuel spray from adhering to the cylinder liner and combustion-chamber wall was identified. Consequently, an impinged-spray nozzle with low penetration was made and tested. As a result, an extremely low nitrogen-oxide (NOx) emission level was realized but fuel efficiency was detracted slightly. Also, the engine operating range possible with PCI combustion was found to be limited to partial-load conditions and PCI combustion was found to cause an increase in hydrocarbon (HC) emission.